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How Academic Libraries Are Being Transformed
Academic libraries and the institutions they serve are being transformed. President Philip Austin has said, "Libraries are leading the academy into a new age of information access." The University of Connecticut Libraries welcome the opportunity to lead the university community into a new information age. Our recent partnering with the University Computer Center to form Information Services strengthens the role we will play in helping to reshape education at UConn.
The Libraries have adopted strategic thinking as an important part of our transformation. Strategic thinking, or strategic intent, is not the same thing as strategic planning. According to Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad, "strategic plans reveal more about today's problems than tomorrow's opportunities." Strategic intent, by contrast, "folds the future back into the present" and asks "what must we do differently next year to get closer to our strategic intent?"
Each year, the UConn Libraries accepts new challenges to bring us closer to our vision of the future of information services. This year, we have identified six library-wide priorities.n Implementing New HOMER The new integrated library system, provided by Endeavor Information Systems, and known locally as HOMER is Y2K compliant, provides a graphic user interface, a Web interface, and mainframe terminal access. The new HOMER enables more effective inter-institutional resource sharing, improved integration of digital and print collections, and many other state-of-the-art features.n Applying the Ownership & Access Framework The Chancellor's Library Advisory Committee has drafted Ownership and Access in a Global Information Market: A Framework for the University of Connecticut Libraries. This document establishes the basis for faculty and librarians to work together to develop an ownership and access plan for each academic department and program. Initial efforts will focus on preparing plans to integrate local collections, networked electronic resources, and document delivery to meet the information needs of each program.n Teaching Library Literacy Skills The library is an integral partner in the university's First Year Experience, using the program to introduce library literacy skills to new undergraduates. We are initiating a Web-based program with instructional modules to provide undergraduate students with a complement of library skills, including the use of electronic information research techniques.n Becoming a Learning Organization An increasingly complex information climate and an increasingly diverse user community call for better-informed decision making. Library teams will continue to develop their self management skills. In addition, we will intensify our efforts to create management information systems that analyze the use of library services and resources in an electronic environment.n Digitizing Collections We intend to create digital collections from unique library resources and to mount them on the Web with appropriate electronic access tools. The Digital Collections Planning Team is building its expertise in creating these collections and will develop a pilot project to prepare us for future work in this direction.n Developing the Access Model The University Libraries are committed to the rapid delivery to our users of materials from other libraries' collections. Our efforts will focus on expanding and improving document delivery services system-wide, monitoring the use of the Endeavor Information Systems document delivery/interlibrary loan module.
Our work in the coming year will bring us closer to the realization of our strategic vision as we lead the university into a new information age. Frank Campanella, executive vice president of Boston College, has said, "The train is leaving the station. You will either be on it or in front of it. Either way, you will be transformed." We plan to be passengers.Brinley Franklin is director of library services. Contact him at brinley.franklin@uconn.edu or 860-486-2219.
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